Markey to Run in Senate Special Election

I have to admit, this suprised me. Going from being a veteran House member with seniority and influence, not to mention dean of the house delegation, to a Junior Senator behind Lizzy Warren? Seems like an odd choice, but nonetheless, Ed Markey is in:

US Representative Edward J. Markey, dean of the state’s Washington delegation, will run in 2013 for the Senate seat expected to open with the nomination of Senator John F. ­Kerry to head the State Department.

Markey, 66, a Malden Democrat elected to the House in 1976, is the first prominent candidate to ­declare a run for Kerry’s seat, which will be filled through a special election early next summer, probably in June. Kerry, a Democrat and head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is expected to be easily confirmed by the Senate in coming weeks as the next secretary of state….

….”I have decided to run for the US Senate ­because this fight is too important,” Markey said in a statement to the Globe. “There is so much at stake….

…Markey declined to be interviewed, and he plans a formal campaign announcement in January. The longtime congressman sees the Senate as a better opportunity while the GOP controls the House of Representatives, according to someone close to Markey but not authorized to speak on his behalf. As a member of the House minority, a Democrat even with such a long incumbency is largely powerless. In the Senate, freshman senators can adopt national platforms and wield influ­ence.

Markey’s announcement was made just three days after Edward M. Kennedy Jr., a son of the late US senator, said he would pass on the Massachusetts race and may run in the future in Connecticut, where he now lives.

About Paul R. Ferro

Paul R. Ferro is Senior Editor at RedMassGroup.com. The 9th registered user of RedMassGroup.com, Paul has been with RMG from it's inception. He's also a former 4-term Marlborough City Councilor and currently serves as Chairman of the Marlborough Republican City Committee. You can follow him on twitter @PaulFerro